songs in the key of my life

January 15, 2009: The Segregation of Caring

**I’m heading to DC to cover the inauguration. Keep checking for images and stories.*

Dear Readers,

Fasting the first 10 days of 2009 cleared more than my complexion (though, that too), it cleared my head so my eyes could see clear through the ever clear of my code blue. A blue line in a red sky said Nina on the last track of Love Jones, and that’s what fasting was like, a body, honing.

Been thinking about the word: perfect. So far January, my birth month, has been about as perfect as perfect can be. Except for that nagging fear that sneaks up on me in the afternoons, or in the night, that something terrible is happening to someone innocent, and I can’t do a damn thing about it. Fucked up part about it, its true. Those people and those places are not so far or different from me and you. Here’s an idea I’ve been chewing on: The Segregation of Caring.

The Segregation of Caring:

A domestic scenario unfolds involving the unjust murder of one young man. An international scenario unfolds involving the violent occupation of a nation. Which do you care about more?

The neighbor you’ve lived across the street from for years dies. Princess Diana dies. Which do you care about more?

A democracy falters. A leader shines. Which do you care about more?

Look, it’s not possible to care about everything all at once. But it is possible to map what you care about, and why. In a world full of wack shit, isn’t it important to guage the sway of our emotions? Lest we be swayed off course.

But to get swayed off course, first we gotta have a course, a plan, a chart, a goal, a destination, a foal finds her mother because that is her goal, of course. Instinctively, we all have a course. Where am I going with this?

All the way to the finish line, the end, finito, full stop. Keep reading.

One thought on “January 15, 2009: The Segregation of Caring”

Somewhere along the way, global warming, an impending disaster that could leave us with hundreds of millions of environmental victims and refugees, became one of my top issues. Worrying about the death penalty just stopped looking so important in light of that.

There are no easy answers, but we need to collectively keep worrying, arguing, agitating, about priorities, even if the process is painful, or the results uncomfortable.